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Sunday, June 01, 2008

NHS - murdering thieving fraudsters

It is about time every British taxpayer stopped for a moment and questioned one of the great legends of our time - that the National Health Service in concept, principle and practice is, by and large, good. I am calling them murdering thieving fraudsters not as an exercise in political hyperbole, but fact. Allowing someone to die without treatment that you deny, for no medical reaso, that you would otherwise provide, is premeditated murder. It is thieving to have used money taken from that person by force and fraud to not provide what would reasonably be expected to be provided for that money. It is repulsive beyond words.

It has been shown now to be an institution of thieving fraudsters, who receive money forcibly extracted from taxpayers, but denies what it says it will provide - healthcare to those who need it when they need it. If it were a private firm, the BBC consumer programme "Watchdog" would be all over it, if it were an oil, gas, telecommunications or water company there would be cries for it to be taxed, regulated, price controlled or otherwise penalised. No. All it gets is more money, and little accountability for how it treats those it is meant to care for.

The Sunday Times today reports the appalling story of Linda O'Boyle. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer and started receiving chemotherapy. Doctors advised her that her chances would improve if she started taking another drug, cetuximab. However, it was "not routinely funded by the NHS". That in itself, is not the primary outrage. Although it does highlight the average production line standard of care the NHS offers, not the best treatment available.

Mrs. O'Boyle then committed the cardinal sin, she decided to raid her savings to pay for the drug privately. After all, her savings were meaningless when she had her life to fight for. The Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation withdrew all her chemotherapy treatment.

The reason given was "Mrs O'Boyle is clearly a rich bitch who can afford whatever the hell she likes, she probably had those savings taken from the palms of begging children and was some Dickensian slave merchant who stole from the working classes, so fuck her. She can pay for all her treatment, we can use her taxes and National Insurance contributions to pay for the wounds and diseases she inflicted on the poor as she was saving up for her hoity toity upper class lifestyle. She probably liked Thatcher too, the heartless cow. We keep the red flag flying here"

Well not quite, but may as well have been. It did say "A patient can choose whether to continue with the treatment available under the NHS or opt to go privately for a different treatment regime. It is explained to the patient that they can either have their treatment under the NHS or privately, but not both in parallel". So you see, you either have inadequate NHS treatment, or you pay for the lot yourself. She asked if she could pay for the NHS to dispense this one additional drug, but no.

The NewLabour socialist prick who authorised this is Health Secretary Alan Johnson who claims "that co-payment would create a two-tier NHS, with preferential treatment for patients who could afford the extra drugs. Last year he issued guidance to NHS trusts ordering them not to permit patients to pay for additional medicines.".

Preferential? The preference to pay to live or die under your inferior compulsory system? How much envy must drip from the veins of Johnson to deny people to top up their inferior (but paid for) state healthcare with their OWN FUCKING MONEY? He takes your money, spends it on healthcare that doesn't meet your needs (you know, reducing your chances of survival meets that test) then says effectively "want a bit more? Well fucking pay for the lot yourself you ungrateful sod."

I'd like to see Johnson face up to Brian O'Boyle, her husband, and see how courageous the little socialist bastard is defending this outrage. Johnson of course deserves a smack in the face for being part of the thieving fraud that is the NHS. Of course if this happened in the USA, it would be the fault of the insurance company, but at least you would have clear grounds for court action.

Six other patients have undertaken legal action to seek judicial review of the decision..Adding to the outrage is the mealy mouthed David Cameron, ever keen not to offend the bludging lumpen-proletariat he can now get votes from. He said it was "tempting" to allow top ups, but the Sunday Times says the Tories are reluctant to express an opinion as it could be seen as "favouring middle class people who can afford to buy extra treatment"..Oh spare me. Those scum, we can't possible defend the bulk of taxpayers, who save AND look after themselves can we?.The NHS exists and serves well those who don't look after themselves, who pay next to no taxes and don't make any provision for their future. Those who pay for it though, can just go and fuck off and be happy with whatever they get..You see there already is a two-tier health system in the UK. Those who rely fully on the NHS, and those who can rely fully on their own funds or private health care. The middle classes who can't afford to pay twice get screwed in the middle. Clearly old Labour doesn't give a damn and is willing to let people die and take their money for the privilege, the Tories even more disgustingly show that courage left them with Lady Thatcher..According to the Sunday Times editorial, lung and stomach cancer survival rates in the UK are below that of Germany, Belgium and the USA. Yes the USA, the bastion of evil profit oriented healthcare. It might be that the incentives in the USA are to detect early, treat quickly and ensure you keep paying premiums by not being dead. Germany has an insurance based model with a basic level of state run health insurance, but the option to top up with private care. Private insurers vary premiums based on risk..It describes further how two men who paid for their own cancer treatment "they are regarded as non-people. The authorities would rather see them die than treat them again"... "there remains in some parts of the NHS an almost Maoist determination that the collective must always reign supreme over the individual".It's time for British people to stand up and demand that either the NHS grant them all what it says it will, or you have the right to opt out and get your money back. Otherwise is it fraud, rewarding the indolent and self destructive, and thieving from the hard working and spendthrift. The NHS is willing to let people die for the sin of wanting to pay for more treatment that its leviathan like bureaucracy is willing to provide - for that it should spark an outrage throughout the country, and that very wealthy fat socialist git from the USA - Michael Moore - should be told to shut the fuck up about something he knows nothing about, after all, how many people has he paid health insurance for?

Oh and I forgot one thing, the drug Mrs O'Boyle sought is free under the NHS in Scotland, you see, that's because the socialist government in Scotland gets more money per head of population than is spent in England (without needing to tax people for it). Now that can't possibly be because so many Labour seats are north of the border can it?

5 comments:

richard mcgrath
said...

Well said Scott, I was appalled when I read that somewhere else (I think it was on the anti-NHS Dr Rant website - check it out!).

Two private Wellington (NZ) surgeons (Gary Stone and Vasu Iyengar) are currently being hauled over the coals by the health and disabilities commissar, one for actions dating back to 1999, relating to two patient deaths.

However I haven't seen any politicians ever get cited for the deaths of people on public hospital waiting lists.

Fortunately several patients of Drs Stone and Iyengar have written letters to newspapers indicating that despite being evil enough to practice private surgery, these surgeons actually look after their patients rather well.

The wetness of the Conservatives on the issue is quite nauseating. The NHS really is a 'sacred cow' that none (except the UK Libertarian Party) dare criticise.

Yes there are some excellent professionals out there, that is the saving grace of what there is. I had to go private in the UK to get my leg fixed, thankfully my employer includes private health insurance.

The fundamental basis of the NHS is flawed, it is the elephant in the room - everything free at the point of use is an abject failure.

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About Me

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Politics, philosophy and economics from a pro-capitalist, libertarian, objectivist perspective. Born in New Zealand, live in the UK, career has been in transport, telecommunications and infrastructure policy.